Event Details

Visitors will get a glimpse of Vancouver's big city lights of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s in this exhibition of the MOV's neon sign collection. The remarkable signs, some lit for the first time since they were rescued from the junk yard, are accompanied by the tale of how the city went through a war of aesthetics that resulted in a transition of the very way Vancouver imagines itself.

In this period Vancouver had approximately 19,000 signs. While some thought they signaled glamour, excitement, and big city living, others thought it was a tawdry display that disfigured the city's natural beauty. The result was a deep civic controversy - explored in this unique exhibition of a turning point in Vancouver's history.